House Bill 230 had passed the House Revenue Committee on a 5-4 vote on Friday. But the legislation failed to meet a deadline for a Committee of the Whole vote on Monday. That means the bill is essentially dead for this session, even though the full House never voted on the measure.

The bill was the latest in a series of non-discrimination bills aimed at protecting the rights of LGBTQ people which have failed to win final approval in the Wyoming Legislature. House bill 230 was narrower in scope than other such legislation in recent years, however, in that it focused only on job discrimination.

Other bills have included housing and public accommodation protections.

Supporters of House Bill 230 said the lack of such a law discourages businesses and tech-savvy young people from locating in the state and gives Wyoming a "backward" image.

Opponents say such discrimination is already illegal and say the bill would encourage bogus lawsuits, as well as possibly forcing employers to hire less-qualified job applicants who might claim they were passed over because of discrimination.